Teana Baskirtseva: Tourists arriving in Tallinn shouldn't be greeted by roadworks
Most tourists arriving at the Port of Tallinn no longer come for the "booze-cruise" take-home suitcases, but rather to simply spend a pleasant time and seek cultural experiences.
However, is Tallinn itself ready to keep up with these changes in the tourist profile, CEO of the Nautica keskus shopping mall Teana Baskirtseva asked.
The days of alcohol tourism are mostly over, while even the price-sensitive Finn now visits Tallinn more for culture and entertainment.
An increasing number of younger Finns also travel here during school breaks, to spend time. There are also many tourists from Asian countries who come to Finland and then take day trips to Tallinn.
So what impression do they get of Tallinn when the first thing they see is roadworks and gravel mounds, a poor pedestrian-traffic interface, and piles of e-scooters strewn around?
This is the reality that people arriving at the port have had to contend with, especially over the past two summers.
The face of Tallinn
Why on earth did Tallinn force tourists to stumble over gravel, with their suitcases, when there were roadworks ongoing at the port?
In Tondi for instance, rubber mats were nicely laid down during the construction of the rail crossing there, so there was no issue there. All that is left is to throw up your hands and ask why it wasn't done in that location where Tallinn's "face" starts, and where many travelers formulate their initial impression of the city.
Two years of roadworks have left their mark on the businesses located near the harbor. While tourists have no choice and have to keep moving with suitcases in hand despite the construction work, the local resident can simply avoid the area altogether during that time.
But this then means a significant drop in revenues to businesses; our parking lot was practically empty through the summer.
We can take away some lessons for next time. Better communication is vital. When roadworks start, the city should present a precise and comprehensible schedule of when and where things will happen.
It is not enough just to cite the City of Tallinn's website, where one has to search for information on a daily basis. I understand that there are many uncertainties when it comes to roadworks and that making promises is no easy matter, but even just something is better than nothing.
At the same time, the city should appoint a project manager for roadworks, responsible for ensuring that the route tourists must take is as convenient as it possibly can be.
The official responsible should personally walk the main routes too, to better understand the inconveniences and make the decisions needed to smooth out the journey.
For the last two summers, it seemed like no one took responsibility for this task.
Both locals and tourists would benefit
Tourists aren't just important for Nautica keskus and the Port of Tallinn; they visit the Rotermanni quarter, the Viru Keskus, the Old Town, and beyond.
Pedestrian-friendly urban planning is as a consequence essential to ensuring that these areas form a unified and logical whole for both tourists and locals.
At present, people can struggle with all their might, but a pedestrian still can't get across the Ahtri intersection in just one single green light.
Problems are also caused by e-scooters, which are often just dumped in the street. If a pedestrian can no longer physically get past scooters, then something has to be wrong. All this takes place on city property, so the city should take responsibility for it.
If we can provide a pleasant and well-planned urban environment, tourists will have reasons to return, again and again. Plus locals would benefit too because a pleasing urban environment is in all of our shared interest
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Kaupo Meiel